Delhi Police Books AIADMK’s Dinakaran For Trying to Bribe an EC Official

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New Delhi: The crime branch of Delhi police booked AIADMK deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran on Monday, April 17, for allegedly trying to bribe an Election Commission official to get the ‘two leaves’ poll symbol in the by-election to R.K. Nagar assembly seat.

Dinakaran, a leader of the AIADMK faction led by his jailed aunt V.K. Sasikala, was named as an accused in an FIR following the arrest of Sukesh Chandrasekhar, a middleman, from a five-star hotel yesterday.

“It has been learnt that Sukesh had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction keep the ‘two leaves’ symbol. Police have recovered Rs 1.30 crore from Sukesh and two cars – a BMW and a Mercedes – have also been seized,” said a senior police officer.

Sukesh is being interrogated about his profile and his connection with any EC official, he said.

The Election Commission had frozen AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol after the two factions led by Sasikala and former chief minister O. Panneerselvam staked claim to it.

The faction led Sasikala, jailed in a disproportionate assets case, later opted for the ‘hat’ symbol.

The by-poll to the R.K. Nagar assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu was scheduled for April 12 but the Election Commission cancelled it, saying the electoral process had been “seriously vitiated” by parties through use of money power.

Dinakaran has responded to the accusation by saying that he will “deal with the case legally”.

The seat fell vacant after the death of former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on December 5 and the by-poll is being viewed as a battle for prestige between the two factions of the AIADMK.

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